Bloomberg: Europe considers buying US arms for Ukraine as Trump steps back

As US President Donald Trump appears to be stepping back from direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict, European leaders are urgently seeking ways to keep Kyiv supplied with weapons. Facing limited stockpiles and production capacity of their own, European countries are increasingly considering purchasing American-made arms to send to Ukraine.

Sources familiar with confidential discussions revealed to Bloomberg that with Washington reluctant to provide additional military aid, Europe may take on the responsibility of buying US weapons systems to bolster Ukraine’s defence. This strategy aims to deter Russia’s advancing forces and exert renewed pressure on President Vladimir Putin to engage seriously in ceasefire talks.

Despite repeated European appeals, the White House has resisted escalating sanctions on Russia or pressing Putin harder for peace, opting instead to treat the conflict as “a European situation,” as Trump stated recently. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is reportedly delaying promised peace negotiations as it prepares for a summer offensive.

Analysts note that the pivot to buying American arms would force Trump into a difficult balancing act: maintaining ties with Putin versus capitalising on lucrative US defence sales. The US is expected to continue intelligence sharing with Ukraine, a critical lifeline that was briefly interrupted, causing operational difficulties in Kyiv and concern among allies.

Europe is also considering harsher sanctions, including removing over 20 Russian banks from the SWIFT payments system, lowering the price cap on Russian oil, and banning Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Experts warn that current US arms transfers, funded during the Biden administration, may be depleted by summer, leaving Europe struggling to fill the gap. Nonetheless, some analysts believe the absence of further US supplemental funding would not be catastrophic given Ukraine’s defensive posture and the key role of domestically produced drones.

Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argues that arming Ukraine with US weapons—whether bought or donated—is essential to ending the war. He suggests that recent natural resource agreements with Ukraine could enable President Trump to seek congressional approval for further funding framed as joint investment rather than taxpayer burden.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed US efforts to encourage NATO allies to send more Patriot missile batteries, though many countries prefer to reserve these for their own defence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly requested at least 10 Patriot batteries from the US, awaiting a response.

Kupchan warns that abandoning Ukraine risks a major political defeat for Trump, likening a potential Ukrainian capitulation to “Trump’s Afghanistan, if not worse.”

With time running out and Russia poised to exploit any weakening of support, Europe’s move to buy American arms could be critical in sustaining Ukraine’s resistance and pushing for peace.

By Khagan Isayev